Bobby pin



March 11, 1947. R. WESTBY 2,417,335

BOBBY PIN Filed May 26, 1945 Patented Mar. 11, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOBBY PIN Lloyd R. Westby, Berwyn, Ill.

Application May 26, 1945, Serial No. 595,970

Claims. (Cl. 132-46) This invention relates to hair pins and more especially to those hair pins commonly known as bobby pins, and its principal object is to. improve on the construction and operation of articles of this character.

Bobby pins are usually made from resilient material, such as narrow steel strips bent upon themselves approximately midway between their ends to provide two clampingingers which are urged together by the resilient action of the U- Vbend of the pin.

One of the objects of this invention is to utilize :the spring action in the U-bend to separate the lingers whereby the fingers may be more easily and readily separated in order that the pin may be conveniently applied to a tuft of hair or to a curl.

Another object is the provision of a catch or shouldered tongue struck up from one of the iingers of the bobby pin and arranged to engage the other nger and releasably hold the two ngers in clamping eng-agement with a tuft of hair or a curl.

Another object is to provide such a .catch or shouldered tongue which will automatically snap pin partly broken out and illustrating `a simple v.

form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan thereof, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bobby pin.

Referring to said drawing, which is merely illustrative of one embodiment of the invention, the reference character 5 designates a strip of resilient material, such as a narrow spring steel strip bent upon itself approximately midway between its ends to form a U-bend 6 from which extend two hair clamping ngers 1, 8 arranged one above the other. The ngers '1, 8 are generally parallel throughout their greater extent, but the finger l is bowed outwardly from the U-bend, as at 9, and this bowed portion extends to the other finger B (when the ngers are closed upon r each other) at which point the ringer 'l is formed with a reverse bend I0 which contacts with the finger 8 and from the reverse bend I0, the finger 'l extends approximately parallel with the iinger 8 to the end thereof, but slightly spaced therefrom and at the end the linger is formed with an inwardly bowed portion Il which engages with the finger 8.

The inherent spring tension in the U-bend functions to spread the lingers apart somewhat, as is indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Struck up from the :linger 8 at a point below the bowed portion S of the finger 1 is a catch or shouldered tongue I2 which extends toward the bowed part 9, and when the two fingers are closed upon each other the catch or shouldered tongue latchingly eng-ages the finger 'I and releasably holds the two lingers in clamping condition.

The catch is formed with a shoulder I3 at its free end which is arranged lto hook upon the other linger.

In the ferm of the invention illustrated, the bowed portion 9 of the linger 1 is formed with .a slot I4 therein through which the shouldered end of the catch may extend with the shoulder engaging the bowed portion of the finger adjacent the slot.

To separate the fingers preparatory to 4clamping a tuft of hair or a curl with the bobby pin, the catch is pressed back, out of engagement with the finger 1, whereuponthe spring tension of the U-bend spreads the iingers apart somewhat. The user can then spread the lingers farther apart if necessary and apply the bobby pin to a tuft of hair or to a curl and then by pressing down upon the outwardly bowed part 9 of the linger 1, the fingers are brought togetherand clamped upon the tuft of hair or the curl, the catch snapping into locking engagement with the linger 1 and thereby positively holding the iingers in clamping engagement upon the hair.

To detach the bobby pin from the hair, the catch is pressed back detaching it from the nger l, whereupon the U-bend spreads the iingers apart somewhat and the bobby pin may then be readily withdrawn from the tuft of hair or the curl.

As is common in bobby pins, the lingers may be straight or slightly bowed or they may be kinked, in accordance with the common practice.

Among some of the advantages which result from .the bobby pin above described are that the fingers can be opened, applied to a tuft of hair or a curl and snapped shut upon the tuft of hair or the curl. The bobby pin can be used and reused indelinitely. It has more holding surface because of its peculiar construction. It can be opened before removing it from the tuft of hair or the curl. It has greater spring strength in the U-bend. It holds the curl more rmly and is easy to operate. It snaps and unsnaps from the bowed end only, which eliminates the necessity of providing latching means at the free ends to lock or unlock the ngers. The snap catch eliminates the possibility -of ruining the spring tension in opening the fingers.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made inthe .same without departing from the Spirit of my invention; hence, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described or vuses mentioned.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bobby pin comprising a single length o resilient material bent upon itself approximately midway between its ends to provide a U-bend from which extend two iingers having substantially parallel overlying portions, .one of which has an outwardly bowed portion merging intov resilient material bent upon itself vapproximately midway between its ends to provide a U-bend from which extend two iingers one overlying the other, one of which has an outwardly bowed portion merging into the U-bend and a resilient catch struck up from one of the fingers below the bowed `portion and arranged to extend through a slot in the bowed portion and having a shoulderto latchingly engage said bowed portion whereby' to releasably hold rthe two fingers in clamping position.

3. A bobby pin comprising a single length of resilient material bent upon itself approximately midway between its ends to provide a U-bend from which extend two clamping lingers having parallel overlying portions, one of said fingers having an outwardly bowed portion merging into `the U-bend and being formed with a slot, and the other linger having a resilient catch struck up therefrom and having a shoulder arranged to latchingly engage the opposite finger through the slot whereby to hold the second flnger in clamp- Y bowed portion merging into the U-bend and the `other of said ngers having a resilient catch struck up therefrom below the bowed portion and having a" shoulder arranged to extend through a slot in vthe bowed portion and latchingly engage said bowed portion whereby to hold the fingers in clamping position.

5. A bobby pin comprising a single length of resilient material bent upongitselfA approximately midway between its ends to form a U-bend from which extend two clamping ngers that are yieldably held in spaced apart relation by said U-bend, one of said ngers having an outwardly bowed portion merging at one end into the U- bend and merging at its other end into a ,reverse bend from which extends a portion substantially parallel with the other `finger in the clamping position of the ngers and terminating in a bowed portion, bowed in the direction of the other iinger, said reverse bend and last mentioned bowed'portion functioning to hold the parallel portions of the fingers in a slightly spaced relation.

LLOYD R. WESTBY.

Y REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le oi' this patent: 

